POVETKIN’S PROMOTER SAYS JOSHUA DEAL IS ‘VERY CLOSE’

Alexander Povetkin's promoter says a deal for the Russian to fight Anthony Joshua is "very close" and believes it will be "the best in the heavyweight division".

The WBA on Tuesday ordered Joshua to agree a date for a mandatory title defence against Povetkin "within 24 hours".

A deal for Joshua to step into the ring with Deontay Wilder for an eagerly-anticipated unification bout has failed to materialise as the two parties continue to exchange verbals.

Wilder labelled Joshua a "coward a** b****" and accused him of being scared of committing to the fight, with the Brit's promoter Eddie Hearn having stated that Povetkin now looks set to be the WBO, IBF, IBO and WBA champion's next opponent.

Andrey Ryabinsky said an agreement for Povetkin to step into the ring with Joshua is not far away and says it will be the "real deal".

"I'm happy that everything is working out," the 38-year-old's promoter told Sky Sports. "It's been a pleasure going through the negotiations with Eddie and I cannot wait for us to start the preparations for the fight.

"We are very close and we plan to finalise the deal very soon.

"The WBA has actually been very patient, but now they are pushing us to finalise this mandatory deal."

He added: "I think Povetkin and Joshua are two gold medallists, a very competitive, top of the line fight. I think this is the best fight in the heavyweight division today.

"If the Wilder-Joshua fight is going to happen, it's going to happen. Right now Povetkin-Joshua and that's what it's all about.

"The fans should be happy, they should not be disappointed, because to be honest with you, I think the fans are going to get a much more competitive and exciting fight in this one.